Strange Things in my tank

Hey Guys,
I been checking this site for sometime, and well recently i've been watching my tank, and ive noticed that all along my crushed coral bottom, there are like hundreds of these little animals running around, they are very small and appear to be clear, i also noticed some on the sides of my tank, but they do not seem to be on the live rock, just the bottom.. is this something to worry about, or what the heck is it? thanks

-Ben

[Wrassman]

Hey SpecialEd,

As our tanks mature they get all kinds of strange looking beasties in them. Some of them so small it take a magnifying glass or a microscope to see them. But, don't worry, many fish LOVE those little critters. They make an excellent food supply for all kinds of fish.

The ones you are describing sound like amphipods, clear looking shrimp-like critters that seem to be doing somersaults all the time. Most fish consider those to be breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So, I wouldn't worry at all about a good supply of amphipods, copepods, or any of the little creatures that make up the fauna of our sand beds. If you are interested in naming a few of them, you could take a look at this website:

http://reefs.org/hhfaq/

That should help you a lot. Good luck!!! And happy Reefing!!!

Thanks for the info, i have two tanks, a 34 and 65 gallon. The 34g i have sand on the bottom, and i havnt had any problems with anything, and with the 65g i got some CC for free so i used that, and i started noticing all those little things everywhere, i get nervous, but im glad it's nothing big. I got a yellow tang, two maroon clowns, and a Damsel in there along with some snails and hermits, so hopefuly they can munch on them. thanks again.

[david]

Sounds like glass shrimp to me! Hey ed have you ever looked in your tank at night with a flash light? It's a whole different place. Check it out.

[karlas]

it sounds like you got pods. pods are a good thing they clean up excess food and are a natural food for some fish. but if you dont want them you can catch em all and send em to me

[Craig Manoukian]

Use a red reflector or plastic over your flashlight for best night time viewing as it won't startle your critters!

HAHA,
I don't mind them all, it was just surprising to see so many of them when i noticed them, but since they are a good thing, ill keep em I do check out my tanks at night, and yeah its crazy, all kinds of cool things.

What are some good pages to goto to see some pictures of other personal aquariums? Or even some of yours?

thanks
-Ben

[Matt Rogers]

[quote author=SpecailEd link=board=ASAP;num=1056599353;start=0#6 date=06/28/03 at 21:02:12]HAHA,
What are some good pages to goto to see some pictures of other personal aquariums? Or even some of yours?
thanks
-Ben[/quote]

Hey Ben, have you check out the gallery here?

Take a look!

http://www.3reef.com/cgi-bin/album.pl

[smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[karlas]

i have my dive photos put under the link matt listed but if u want to see pics just click on the house under my name it comes up www when u put ur cursor on it